Punk Aid
@ Wild Spirits//10/9/05
I didn't realize that the Manhattan-bound R train is the new place to flyer but when I went in to research the Button-O-Matic machines I took the R all the way to 59th for the express since I was in no rush. A gang of people got on @ Steinway, including one Xtene, bass player for S.M.U.T. I said hi and she gave me a flyer for Punk Aid, hosted by S.M.U.T.'s Cutie Calamity @ Wild Spirits (for the United Way Disaster Reief Fund). I also didn't realize that the UES is the new LES but I guess so. The show starts at 2PM and there was a rather impressive list of bands. While I've only seen 4 on the list, either I've wanted to see the others or their names sounded cool, so I was bracing myself for an all-day affair. 17 bands listed! Holy shit. See, at first I was relieved that I never got a ticket for the Vibrators because it turned out there were 10 other bands on the bill, but then I would've had the practice for such shows. But I did find set times. 2PM-2AM. Uh, no. And the sets are only 20 mins each. Besides, it's for charity. Still, I found myself wishing I had a book to read, or even a word-search book. A GameBoy. Anything. I went down 95th St. past all these luxury rental apartments thinking, Some people have all the luck. Wild Spirits used to be Hogs & Heifers Uptown; gone are all the saddles draped with bras that lined the walls but now there's a stage toward the back. And it was small, dark, and smoky, so there wouldn't have been anyplace to read. So for all the punx out there keeping score:
Test Specimen: I got there around 4:15 to see the 3:45 band setting up. Not really a problem since I've seen Test Specimen before. I guess they swtiched times with the next band 'cause the band that was supposed to go on after them didn't. Even though time was called, they asked if they could do 2 more. Grrr. This brings to mind the 1st time I saw them on a matinee @ Continental and they kept going in the dark even though the place was shutting down. Not a way to make a first impression. After their ska number "Too Hungover To Rock & Roll," Xtene said they sounded like the Clash. Good song, yeah, but I don't think the Clash would've asked to do an extra song during a benefit.
Retard Riot: Or, should I say The Retard Riot. I didn't know there was a Retard Riot out of Connecticut. No offense to the CT Retard Riot, but I was expecting the artist/musician Noah Lyon. Had I known, I could've/would've adjusted my arrival time. I told Xris about the show, thinking it was the other Retard Riot and he said he was going. I was hoping he didn't come expecting to see one Retard Riot and getting another, and then getting mad at me. The CT RR has such ditties as "Sandwiches and Blowjobs" and the rockabilly "I Love That Girl So I Fucked That Girl In The Face." At 59th/Lex while he and his girlfriend were waiting for the N and I the R, Matt Retarded told me that he was actually diagnosed as being a sociopath.
Stressbomb: Also from CT. Good, mid-90s punk. They have potential and I could see them getting somewhere. They did kinda remind me of the Suicide Machines. So I guess it's a good thing that I've heard an SM album so I can say this with some accuracy. For those who are unfamiliar with SM, while watching Stressbomb I instantly thought of that article in The Onion: 90's Punk Decries Punk Of Today.
Hidden Eyes/Second Class Citizen Split Set: Can't remember if they actually had a split set or not, it's just that both are hardcore, with that 100MPH barking vocals. I'm not a big fan of that hardcore tradition, but I preferred Second Class Citizen's delivery. "I know it's small in here and I'm ugly," SCC said, encouraging us to mosh anyway. Fans of Eyes Of Hate would like them.
Blackballed: I wussed out and left to get food. It was 7PM by this time and I did want to catch The Basicks. The thing is, the show was no re-entry until 8PM though the girl at the door was nice and was letting people out. Nothing like being trapped in a dark, tiny bar all night. When I asked if I could leave and get food, the girl said she really wasn't supposed to be letting people out. Yeah, well, you're really not supposed to smoke in bars in NYC but I won't tell if you won't. I got back to find SCC's drummer and another guy squatting down by the garbage, fascinated by the rats. "We're not from around here," the drummer said, explaining why this sidewalk zoo was better than watching the bands. They'd named one rat Nicodemus. I caught the last Blackballed song and it felt like I didn't miss a thing.
The Basicks: There was just too much hardcore on the bill. I'm not just saying that because I'm not a big hardcore fan--listening to the same sound for the past hour was like overkill. Maybe it seemed longer because I'm not a fan of the genre. But The Basicks' pop-punk sound was like a breath of fresh air. Mid-90s whoah-oh punk. They have a 7" out on Lookout! It was like hearing a fuller band after stipped-down hardcore.
Caught In A Trap: Back to the hardcore. It just seemed like that's all that was on the bill. They called time and the band kept going, with a guy sitting alongside the stage singing. They announce that they have 2 more, did a song, then said, "Ok, now we have 2 more." Either he's a huge fan or he used to be in the band. He kept going on about how he wasn't expecting this, as he just got off work and came over. He's a super. Or, as he said, a slumlord.
Hooliganism: I like the band, but someone needs to tell their fans that there's a right way to do a circle pit and a wrong way. Running around with limbs flailing? Wrong. Purposefully flinging yourself into bystanders? Wrong. I get it, you're punk rockers. I see your studded belts and the mohawks worn by your fave band. The goal of moshing isn't to have bouncers throwing you out, which happened 3x.
S.M.U.T.: No Place To Piss were supposed to be next, but S.M.U.T. went on instead. Another breath of fresh air. Y'know what was really missing from this lineup? (I mean besides standout bands?) Female musicians. Maybe that was the problem with having all that screamy hardcore. Too much testosterone in the air. It's not that the hardcore bands were agressive, it was a relief to finally hear a different sound. Cutie Calamity accessorized her pink mohawk with the Blackberry that held the lyrics to their new songs and there was a request for "Bloody River," but Cutie said it was the wrong week of the month for that. Closing number "There's Gonna Be Blood" is actually about a fight at a show, not the other thing.
Rabia were setting up next and I wasn't sure when No Place To Piss was going on so I left. Which turned out to be a good thing because there were no downtown trains @ 96, so I had to go up to 125th St. and back down. I know it's a benefit and all, but 6 hrs. in a venue on a Sunday where there was smoking allowed for the majority of that time was a bit much.
I didn't realize that the Manhattan-bound R train is the new place to flyer but when I went in to research the Button-O-Matic machines I took the R all the way to 59th for the express since I was in no rush. A gang of people got on @ Steinway, including one Xtene, bass player for S.M.U.T. I said hi and she gave me a flyer for Punk Aid, hosted by S.M.U.T.'s Cutie Calamity @ Wild Spirits (for the United Way Disaster Reief Fund). I also didn't realize that the UES is the new LES but I guess so. The show starts at 2PM and there was a rather impressive list of bands. While I've only seen 4 on the list, either I've wanted to see the others or their names sounded cool, so I was bracing myself for an all-day affair. 17 bands listed! Holy shit. See, at first I was relieved that I never got a ticket for the Vibrators because it turned out there were 10 other bands on the bill, but then I would've had the practice for such shows. But I did find set times. 2PM-2AM. Uh, no. And the sets are only 20 mins each. Besides, it's for charity. Still, I found myself wishing I had a book to read, or even a word-search book. A GameBoy. Anything. I went down 95th St. past all these luxury rental apartments thinking, Some people have all the luck. Wild Spirits used to be Hogs & Heifers Uptown; gone are all the saddles draped with bras that lined the walls but now there's a stage toward the back. And it was small, dark, and smoky, so there wouldn't have been anyplace to read. So for all the punx out there keeping score:
Test Specimen: I got there around 4:15 to see the 3:45 band setting up. Not really a problem since I've seen Test Specimen before. I guess they swtiched times with the next band 'cause the band that was supposed to go on after them didn't. Even though time was called, they asked if they could do 2 more. Grrr. This brings to mind the 1st time I saw them on a matinee @ Continental and they kept going in the dark even though the place was shutting down. Not a way to make a first impression. After their ska number "Too Hungover To Rock & Roll," Xtene said they sounded like the Clash. Good song, yeah, but I don't think the Clash would've asked to do an extra song during a benefit.
Retard Riot: Or, should I say The Retard Riot. I didn't know there was a Retard Riot out of Connecticut. No offense to the CT Retard Riot, but I was expecting the artist/musician Noah Lyon. Had I known, I could've/would've adjusted my arrival time. I told Xris about the show, thinking it was the other Retard Riot and he said he was going. I was hoping he didn't come expecting to see one Retard Riot and getting another, and then getting mad at me. The CT RR has such ditties as "Sandwiches and Blowjobs" and the rockabilly "I Love That Girl So I Fucked That Girl In The Face." At 59th/Lex while he and his girlfriend were waiting for the N and I the R, Matt Retarded told me that he was actually diagnosed as being a sociopath.
Stressbomb: Also from CT. Good, mid-90s punk. They have potential and I could see them getting somewhere. They did kinda remind me of the Suicide Machines. So I guess it's a good thing that I've heard an SM album so I can say this with some accuracy. For those who are unfamiliar with SM, while watching Stressbomb I instantly thought of that article in The Onion: 90's Punk Decries Punk Of Today.
Hidden Eyes/Second Class Citizen Split Set: Can't remember if they actually had a split set or not, it's just that both are hardcore, with that 100MPH barking vocals. I'm not a big fan of that hardcore tradition, but I preferred Second Class Citizen's delivery. "I know it's small in here and I'm ugly," SCC said, encouraging us to mosh anyway. Fans of Eyes Of Hate would like them.
Blackballed: I wussed out and left to get food. It was 7PM by this time and I did want to catch The Basicks. The thing is, the show was no re-entry until 8PM though the girl at the door was nice and was letting people out. Nothing like being trapped in a dark, tiny bar all night. When I asked if I could leave and get food, the girl said she really wasn't supposed to be letting people out. Yeah, well, you're really not supposed to smoke in bars in NYC but I won't tell if you won't. I got back to find SCC's drummer and another guy squatting down by the garbage, fascinated by the rats. "We're not from around here," the drummer said, explaining why this sidewalk zoo was better than watching the bands. They'd named one rat Nicodemus. I caught the last Blackballed song and it felt like I didn't miss a thing.
The Basicks: There was just too much hardcore on the bill. I'm not just saying that because I'm not a big hardcore fan--listening to the same sound for the past hour was like overkill. Maybe it seemed longer because I'm not a fan of the genre. But The Basicks' pop-punk sound was like a breath of fresh air. Mid-90s whoah-oh punk. They have a 7" out on Lookout! It was like hearing a fuller band after stipped-down hardcore.
Caught In A Trap: Back to the hardcore. It just seemed like that's all that was on the bill. They called time and the band kept going, with a guy sitting alongside the stage singing. They announce that they have 2 more, did a song, then said, "Ok, now we have 2 more." Either he's a huge fan or he used to be in the band. He kept going on about how he wasn't expecting this, as he just got off work and came over. He's a super. Or, as he said, a slumlord.
Hooliganism: I like the band, but someone needs to tell their fans that there's a right way to do a circle pit and a wrong way. Running around with limbs flailing? Wrong. Purposefully flinging yourself into bystanders? Wrong. I get it, you're punk rockers. I see your studded belts and the mohawks worn by your fave band. The goal of moshing isn't to have bouncers throwing you out, which happened 3x.
S.M.U.T.: No Place To Piss were supposed to be next, but S.M.U.T. went on instead. Another breath of fresh air. Y'know what was really missing from this lineup? (I mean besides standout bands?) Female musicians. Maybe that was the problem with having all that screamy hardcore. Too much testosterone in the air. It's not that the hardcore bands were agressive, it was a relief to finally hear a different sound. Cutie Calamity accessorized her pink mohawk with the Blackberry that held the lyrics to their new songs and there was a request for "Bloody River," but Cutie said it was the wrong week of the month for that. Closing number "There's Gonna Be Blood" is actually about a fight at a show, not the other thing.
Rabia were setting up next and I wasn't sure when No Place To Piss was going on so I left. Which turned out to be a good thing because there were no downtown trains @ 96, so I had to go up to 125th St. and back down. I know it's a benefit and all, but 6 hrs. in a venue on a Sunday where there was smoking allowed for the majority of that time was a bit much.
posted by heather @ 2:43 PM
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